Child&#39;s garment



Oct. 2, 1951 Filed July 29, 1950 A. E. MASLIN CHILD'S GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /.9 INVENTOR.

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-BY s dim)? 1 A. E. MASLIN CHILDS GARMENT Oct. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1950 W U LP UU PWH Patented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,569,569 onnms GARMENT Alice E. Masli n; New York, N. Y. Application July 29, 1950, Serial No. 176,597

My invention relates broadly to garments and more particularly to childrens garments of progressively adjustable size patterned to enable a child to wear the garment. from infancy through the years of rapid growth.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a construction of child's garment having provision in the shoulder portions thereof for pleating the shoulders in such manner that the garment may be readily worn by a child during infancy and from time to time the pleats adjusted to enlarge the shoulder portions for accommodating the garment to the child according to growth of the child.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of child's garment in which independent shoulder suspension portions are provided in an arrangement which may be folded over the waistband portion of the garment to allow convenient access by the child to the garment.

Another object of my invention is to provide a method of interconnecting shoulder suspension portions of a childs garment to the waistband portion thereof for facilitating the foldingof the shoulder portions over the waistband portion for facilitating the changing or taking off of the garment.

A further object of my invention is to provide a garment construction for children in which both the front and back of the garment are symmetrically arranged so that the appearance of the garment is the same whether viewed from the front or rear and accordingly the garment may be worn in either front or reverse position.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in an improved construction of adjustable size garment for children which does not require snap fasteners, ties, ribbon gatherers, buttons or any of the conventional adjustment means as set forth more fully in the specification hereinafter following and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a child's garment constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on line 2-2 illustrating the manner of connecting the independent shoulder portions of the garment with the waistband portion; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show a series of side elevational views of the garment showing the manner of adjusting the shoulder portion of the garment in accordance with the growth of the child from infancy through the older years; Fig. 6 is a'top plan view showing the independent shoulder portions of the garment 3 Claims. (01. 2-75) foldedback over the waistband portion for facilitating the putting on or the taking off of the garment; Fig. 7 is afront perspective View of the garment with the shoulder portions folded down over the Waistband portion preparatory to the putting on or the taking off of the garment; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the garment taken from one side thereof and illustrating the shoulder portion folded back over the waistband por-' tion in a manner similar to the view illustrated in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the shoulder portion illustrating the arrangement of looped pleat which I provide interiorly of the shoulder portion and which is adjustable from time to time to enlarge the shoulder portion to increase the size of the garment with the requirements due to growth of the child; and Figs. 10, ll and 12 are views showing the garment in its progressive periods of wear in accordance with the growth of the child.

I have developed the garment of my invention to meet the economic need of obtaining as much wear as possible from childrens garments over the period from infancy to approximately four years of age during which time the rapid growth of the child normally requires the discarding of conventional garments with negligible amount of wear. During this period of prolific growth the child ordinarily outgrows available garments of conventional pattern rendering further wear impracticable. With the garment of my invention, however, oversize material is included in the garment as initially made and from time to time this oversize material may be rendered effective for the enlargement of the garment for increasing the size of the garment so that the same garment may be worn over the progressive period of growth. I also form the garment with a pair of shoulder suspension portions which are so connected with the waistband portion that they may be readily folded over the waistband portion giving maximum area for the putting on or the taking off of the garment thus enabling the child at an earlier age to dress or undress herself. The structure of my invention is so designed as not to defeat the very purpose of teaching the child this faculty of self care at an early age by such impediments on the garment such as buttons, snap fasteners, tie cords, ribbons and other fastening means which offer only confusion and serve to delay both the dressing and undressing process. The structure of the garment has been illustrated herein as applied to a slip but it will be understood that the same principles may be embodied in any other type of garment and that no limitations upon my invention are intended by the application of my invention illustrated herein.

Reference character I designates a childs adjustable garment of my invention having skirt portion 2, a waistband portion 3 and a pair of independent shoulder portions 4 and 5 connected therewith. As illustrated in Fig. 2 the skirt portion 2 is folded upon itself as represented at 6 forming part of the waistband portion. The two independent shoiild'er portions 4 and 5 of the garment are each laid ad acent each other at their lower peripheral edges and then folded upon themselves with the shoulder portion 4 inside the shoulder portion 5 as represented by the double folds at I and 8. The folded portions I and 8 are laid immediately adjacent each other and are then positioned adjacent .thefolded Waistband portion 6. The folded waistband portion 6 and the folded portions I and 8 are'then secured bya double row of stitches represented at 9 and I5 extending through the double folds of the folded portions I and 8 and the single fold of the folded portion 6. The shoulder portions 4 and 5 are folded upon themselves at II and I2 prior to the double folds provided at I and 8 and through the felds II and I2 I pass the threads I4 extending through the dress portion 2 as shown. Thus a reinforced Waistband is provided including six ply of the material to the upper portion of the waistband and five ply of the material immediately below the waistband.

The shoulder portions 4 and 5 are'each independently foldable over the skirt portion 2 exteriorly of the garment as represented in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. The shoulder portions 4 and 5 are each formed on diagonals represented at 4a and 5a which extend across each other and attach to the waistband 3 in positions adjacent the opposite extremities of the waistband. The arrangement of the shoulder portions 4 and 5 and the diagonal extremities 4d and 5a thereof is the same at both the front and back of the garment so that the parts of the garment are symmetrical. It is because of the diagonal extension of the shoumer portions 4 and 5 that substantial support is obtained in the garment as assurance against undue strains and at the same time a relatively large area at I5 obtained for facilitating the putting on or the taking off of the garment. In other words, there is no obstruction whatever offered to the inside area bounded by the waistband 3 by the shoulder suspension means for the garment which would otherwise be the case in the conventional patterns where the shoulder suspensions extend vertically upwardly from the body of the garment.

The shoulder portions 4 and 5 each have provision for the armholes I6 and II. The shoulder portions 4 and 5 immediately above the armholes l6 and I1 each include relatively long pleated or inwardly folded portions indicated at I8 and I9. The garment as initially supplied is provided with the pleats or inwardly folded portions I8 and I9 extending downwardly into the armholes as represented more clearly in Figs. 3 and 9 providing an armhole I6 .of minimum area. The pleat or folded portion I8 is shown in Fig. 9 as moved to one side of the interior of armhole IS from the dotted line portion I8 so that there is no obstruction offered to the armhole I6. The garment as thus furnished may be worn by the child during infancy and for the period of growth immediately following infancy. However, as the growth of the child progresses the pleat or the. inwardly folded portion I8 must.

be reduced in effective length and the armhole It enlarged as represented in Fig. 4. To accomplish this the garment is initially furnished with the pleats or inwardly folded portions I8 and I9 provided with two spaced rows of stitches as shown at 2I and 22 in Figs. 3, 7 and 9. Initially the garment as represented in Fig. 3 has both of the rows of stitches 2| and 22 effective for decreasing the area of armhole I6. In Fig. 4, however, the row of stitches 22 has been removed which shortens the effective length of the pleat or inwardly folded portion I8" and enlarges the area of armhole I5 and lengthens the skirt portion represented by the distance 2" as distinguished from the original length 2' represented in Fig. 3.

As the growth of the child progresses it becomes necessary to entirely eliminate the pleat or inwardly folded portion I8" by removing the last row of stitches 2| as shown in Fig. 5 thereby enlarging the area of armhole I6 to its maximum size and lengthening skirt portion 2 to the effective length 2" as represented in Fig. 5. In this final arrangement the pleat or inwardly folded portion I8 has been wholly displaced into the shoulder portion of the garment. It will be realized that additional spaced rows of stitches may be provided in the pleats or inwardly folded portions I8 and I9 so that the area of the shoulder portion and the length of the skirt portion may be increased by a larger number of increments as the growth of the child progresses.

Figs. 10, 11 arid 12 illustrate the actual application of the garment to a growing child. The garment illustrated in Fig. 12 is the same garment as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. In Fig. 11 the shoulder portions 4 and 5 have been effectively lengthened by the elimination of the row of stitches 22 and correspondingly the effective length of skirt portion 2 has been increased. In Fig. 12 the shoulder portions 4 and 5 have been further effectively lengthened and the skirt portion 2 further ffectively lengthened by the elimination of the final row of stitches 2I.

I have found the structure of the diagonally foldable independent shoulder portions 4 and 5 highly practical and useful in facilitating the teaching of the child at a very early age to dress and undress herself and the structure of the pleats or inwardly folded portions to the shoulders of the garment to be highly practical in pro-' viding long wear for the garment with the progressive growth of the child. The manner of connecting the independent shoulder portions with the waistband portion has proven very sturdy and practical in its construction. I realize, however, that modifications may readily suggest themselves and I desire that it be understood that I intend no limitations upon my invention other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims;

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. An adjustable garment comprising a skirt portion terminating in a. waistband portion, apair of shoulder portions formed on diagonals extending from spaced positions on said waist; band portion and connected with Said Waistbandportion, the diagonals of said shoulder portions crossing each other at both the front and rear of the garment and symmetrically formed at both the front and rear thereof. said shoulder portions having armhole portions formed therein above the spaced positions at whichsaid shoulder por-' tions connect with said waistbandportion; each of said shoulder portions adjacent said armhole portions having inwardly extending loops formed therein and fastening means for said loops adapted to change the efiective lengths of said loops for enlarging said armhole portions and effectively lengthening said shoulder portions and said skirt portion.

2. An adjustable garment as set forth in claim 1 in which said inwardly extending loops are fas- I 3. An adjustable garment as set forth in claim 1 in which the said loops are located adjacent the top of the inner extremities of each of said shoulder portions and depend downwardly there- 6 from and are foldable against the inner sides of said shoulder portions, said loops being independently adjustable in effective length for correspondingly enlarging the effective area of the armholes and the effective lengths of said shoulder portions and the said skirt portion.

ALICE E. MASLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name 7 Date 1,461,798 Hildreth July 17, 1923 1,672,770 Mountain June 5, 1928 2,338,552 Stephenson Jan. 4, 1944 2,470,031 Harris May 10, 1949 

